Sin To Kill A Mockingbird Research Paper

The Mockingbird Spirit of Innocence How do you define innocence? Is there someone out in the world who is purely innocent? To understand innocence you should look at what a mockingbird does, because all they do is sing. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus and Miss Maudie teach Scout and Jem that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.

‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” This made me see that mockingbirds have a deeper meaning in the story, especially that they are part of the title. Mockingbirds are called like that because they mimic or mock the songs of other birds.

Context: When Jem was trying to shoot some birds, Atticus caught him and told him to, Evidence: “Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit ‘em but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird,” (pg 119). Explanation: The mockingbird represents Tom because he’s innocent and hasn’t done anything wrong. The white people, Ewells, targeted him because he’s always helpful to Mayella.

Contrary to Mr. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, being considered the mockingbird of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it is Mr. Tom Robinson who is the true mockingbird of the novel. Atticus Finch says to his children, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (Lee, p. 98). Atticus tells his children this because a mockingbird does not do any harm to you, but the mockingbird brings songs and joys, consequently is a sin if one were to take it away. Tom Robinson fits the role as the mockingbird that Atticus provides for his children. With this symbolism of Tom Robinson and a mockingbird in place, the use of symbolism in the novel is a literary masterpiece, with compelling and accurate relationships between characters, animals, and symbols.

Lee has many intentions and beliefs for her writing the novel, she highlighted equality, civil rights, racisms, prejudice and bigotry. This ties in with the title of the novel because there are two characters that are portrayed as mockingbirds Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Mockingbirds in the novel are proven to be a sin to kill, as quoted on page 98 “mockingbirds don’t do one things but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up peoples gardens, don’t nest in the cribs, don’t do one thing just sing their hearts for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird. It is a sin because they are innocent, good, protective animals that mind their own business and don 't do anything but good for their community. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird there are three mockingbirds in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. When there was a problem they could solve, they would solve it.

“ ​Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat uppeople’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). Tom Robinson, a minor yet importantcharacter, is indirectly described as a mockingbird throughout the whole book, since he waskilled for entertainment purposes and not because of the crime he was guilty of, when he wastruly innocent. He did not do one thing but be honest, but his skin color made the people thinkotherwise (Gladwell).

The Dangers of Following Traditions Blindly Why do people follow authorities and traditions blindly without reflecting upon what they are doing? The two short stories, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Examination Day by Henry Slesar, are perfect examples of societies that don’t question what they are doing because killing a person is rather an uncivilized and barbaric act. People will often be cruel when following traditions, beliefs, religion, or authorities. Thus, in the two short stories The Lottery and Examination Day, the authors are indirectly warning the reader about the dangers of not questioning authorities or traditions, and how we tend to be sheep that simply follow and don’t question.

Tom Robinson is portrayed by a Mockingbird because Mockingbirds do not harm others, they only sing for us. Tom is wrongly accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, when in actuality he is a helpful, hardworking, and honest man who was helping Mayella with her chores around the house. Tom Robinson does not hurt Mayella Ewell in any way but he does dare to feel sorry for her because of her loneliness and financial state which is why he was willing to help her around the house. Tom Robinson’s pity on Mayella Ewell is seen as unfathomable and is not accepted by the court. As shown on page 197, ”’

That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,’”(Lee 119). The statement ‘to kill a mockingbird’ symbolizes innocence, so it really means the death of innocence. This shows not only Atticus’ sense of justice but also his overall moral value as well. This is not the only instance of this happening in To Kill A Mockingbird though. Atticus also took on the Tom Robinson case even though he was given a chance to say no.

In conclusion the quote “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” teaches Scout and the reader that it would be wrong to kill or harm something good and innocent in the world because they are good and innocent, would make the world a worse place, and they do for us it. Finally think how you have treated people who are mockingbirds, how can you do something for them in return, and how can you become one of these people

In reality, Lee used mockingbirds as symbols that represent so much more. After realizing the symbolic meaning of a mockingbird I was able to make many connections. I compared Tom Robinson 's death to a mockingbird 's death because he was innocent of the crime he was blamed to have committed. In addition, I realized that Boo Radley is an innocent man who was wrongly incarcerated by his father. He can be compared to a mockingbird because of his innocence.

Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in that he doesn't do one thing wrong. All he does is provide help to the people he interacts with. That is exactly how he got in trouble. Tom Robinson was helping Mayella with some chores. He was humming a melody and when he chopped up the dresser drawers.

In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”

It’s easy to be able to ignore somebody’s feelings, but it is difficult to step up and share the feelings of another. Empathy is the idea of doing just that and understanding one’s feelings. Harper Lee symbolizes empathy in many different ways throughout her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In Lee’s novel, many characters are affected by the theme of empathy, but the characters that experience it the most are Jem when he tells Scout not to harm the insect, Scout when she shows affection for Mrs. Dubose, and Tom when he shows affection for Mayella even when she accuses him of rape. The person that it was hardest for was Tom Robinson judging that he is a negro man.